Piano Service

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My Work

I focus on long term care and maintenance of pianos. This means I do more than just tune. Pianos that haven't been serviced in several years sometimes require a full day service which includes a pitch raise, tuning, cleaning, regulation, minor repairs, and minimal voicing. Pianos that are serviced regularly (1-4 times per year) only receive a full day service as needed.

Pricing and Scheduling

Fees for piano work depend on the needs of the piano and how far I must to travel:

Mileage is 50¢ per mile from Athens, WV if you book on a day scheduled for your area. If you book on a day not scheduled for your area, it's $1 per mile.

A tuning is $80 plus mileage.

Regulation and/or repair is $42 per hour plus mileage.

If your piano hasn't been tuned for several years and needs a pitch change, there may be more cost involved. Pitch changes cost 25¢ for every percent of a half step change starting at 12%. Anything under 12% of a half step is free. Pianos tuned every 6 months typically don't need much of a pitch change, but if something were to happen with the weather or indoor climate controls that caused a large pitch shift, there is no charge to correct that pitch change as long as I tuned the piano 6 months previously to standard pitch.

It is wise to plan ahead and schedule your appointment 3 to 6 months in advance. I can sometimes schedule sooner if I've have a cancellation. If you need a last minute tuning I will try to accommodate you as best as possible or connect you with another tuner in your area. Existing customers have priority.

Remember!

The quality of any piano tuning is inversely proportional to the level of noise in the area during the tuning!

DO NOT let anyone “bang” on the keys. This can put the piano instantly out of tune, as well as cause damage to the action.

A piano is affected by temperature and humidity. Changes in temperature can put a piano out of tune more quickly, but this does not usually cause damage. Changes in humidity can not only put a piano out of tune quickly, but most likely WILL cause damage. The problem with this type of damage is that it is slow and subtle, and doesn’t always show until it’s too late. A piano needs to be kept between 35% and 50% humidity, with 42% being ideal. This can be done by treating the room with a humidistat controlled humidifier and/or dehumidifier, or with a climate control system developed specifically for pianos. You can learn more about these systems here.